


Honey

by Harrukawa



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Deaf!Clementine, F/M, It’s the cliché thing where she teaches him asl I’m a sucker for it, Louisentine, its mostly fluff, louis hates working there anyway, they work at a environmental research lab but it’s not that important
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-10-24 18:39:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17709446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harrukawa/pseuds/Harrukawa
Summary: A deaf Clementine finds herself falling for her coworker, Louis, after he makes an attempt at learning asl for her.





	1. Chapter 1

Clementine remembered her first meeting with Louis almost perfectly. She had been scribbling something in her notes when she felt a few raps on her desk, and she lifted her head.

Her coworker, Kathleen, was standing there, next to a man with a button down flannel. The man immediately started mouthing something, and it took her a few seconds to understand what he was saying. "—the temp." Is what she caught, and Kathleen seemingly picked up on that.

L-o-u-i-s, Kathleen had fingerspelled to her. For good measure, she signed _temporary_.

_I_ _got_ _it_. Clementine signed back. _Thanks_.

The temp—Louis—glanced from Kathleen to Clementine a couple times before recognition appeared across his face.

This type of behavior wasn't new to Clementine, she was aware of the way people would start over-enunciating their words, or the way they'd quickly turn to Kathleen and immediately launch into "tell her I said this". She knew they had good intentions, so it didn't bother her much anymore, it just seemed normal. 

Louis jerked his head towards Kathleen, she must've said his name. "Clementine," She caught, "..won't have to.. her that much. I thought you'd like to meet a higher up." Kathleen spoke clearly, but not so much so that it wasn't understandable, and Clementine was easily able to piece her words together.

Louis took a step towards her and held out his hand to shake. She paused before doing so. 

"Nice to meet you." He said. Clementine had nodded in response, dropping her hand to push up her glasses instead.

Louis had backed away with a small smile.

Clementine didn’t think much of this introduction when it happened, it was much like the other people she met at work, but she later on she kept coming back to it. The smaller details.

/

Clementine had been filling out paperwork in her office about two days later when there was another knock at her desk.

When she looked up, the temp was standing there, all jittery. Clementine was immediately suspicious.

But Louis surprised her once again. _Do you want coffee?_ He signed slowly.

There was a slight pause in which Clementine blinked, surprised. _You know ASL?_

Louis' smile faded as he stared at her hands, concentration overtaking his features. 

After a moments hesitation, he signed, _I know.. a little sign language._ When he finished, he flashed her a sheepish grin.

Clementine couldn't help the smile that spread across her own face as she looked at him. He signed so carefully, and was obviously very excited about showing her. It made her heart swell. 

Louis signed _sorry, _putting a fist to his chest and moving it in a circular motion, then paused. _I'm.. bad. _Learning.____

Clementine vigorously shook her head no, wanting to tell him that that wasn't why she was smiling, that he was doing great. She wanted to tell him it meant the world to her that he took the time to learn how to ask her directly, that nobody had done that before, but she had a feeling he probably didn't know enough ASL for that. She could pull out a piece of paper—

_Coffee? _Louis signed again, placing two fists on top of each other, mimicking grinding them together.__   

She shook her head again, then signed, _Thank you._  

Louis nodded, flashed her another little grin, then turned towards the door. Clementine couldn't pinpoint why she couldn't stop smiling as she watched him walk off. 

/

She had been heading towards the research labs about a day later when she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder, and lo and behold, it was Louis. He was carrying a clipboard with his left hand. 

He made the sign for "B" with his right hand and gave her a little salute with it. _Hello!_

Clementine repeated the motion, a small smile forming on her lips. Louis handed her the clipboard when she was done, eyes bright and hopeful. There was a note scribbled out on the paper.

_I don't know enough ASL to ask you if you need any help, so I thought this would be the better option. Everyone told me to just ask Kathleen, but I'd rather hear it from you._

There was a little smiley face next to the note. She smirked, writing out a note below Louis'.

_I can read lips, you know._

"Sassy." Louis mouthed after taking back the clipboard, but his expression quickly turned apologetic. "I know.. I feel bad. For some reason."

She waved her hand dismissively, then signed _silly._  

Louis laughed, his eyes scrunching and shoulders rising slightly. Clementine's smile grew even wider.

"So? Can I come with you?" 

Clementine reached for the clipboard, which Louis excitedly handed to her.

_Don't you have a job to do?_

"—yes." She caught Louis saying after getting it back. "How about.. we keep.. little secret, okay?" Louis was speaking fast, his words jumbling together. She wasn't going to admit that to him, of course, she was proving she didn't need the clipboard.

Eventually, Clementine nodded, gesturing for him to come along. She turned before he said anything else, a small smile still on her lips.

Louis quickly fell into step beside her, and they walked down to the research lab together.

They passed a few people as they walked, and almost all of them waved to Louis, addressing him by name. She had no idea how he'd already memorized their names by day 4. Maybe she wasn't that great with names in general, when Kathleen started working here Clementine had to ask her to repeat her name several times. She was thankful Kathleen didn't mind spelling it over and over again for her, and eventually just allowing her to come up with a sign for her.

Clementine's sign for Kathleen was simple, it was the letter "K" that she tapped on the corner of her lips twice. It was fairly mundane, but Kathleen didn't seem to mind. Besides, Kathleen's sign for Clementine was just a "C" that she tapped on her left shoulder, anyway. 

Louis held the door open for her when they reached the labs.

The rest of the day was mostly uneventful. She and Louis didn't speak much, she was mostly focused on her work, but he didn't seem to mind. Sometimes he'd ask her something simple, like what she was looking at in the microscope, but mostly he'd point to random objects and ask how to say them in ASL. He didn't seem all that interested in the work. As much as environmental research intrigued her, she eventually found herself hoping more for the times Louis would ask her something.

Louis had to leave after and hour or two, but it hasn't felt that long at all. They said their brief goodbyes, and she finished out her day alone.

/ 

Clementine had been eating lunch in her office when Louis asked if she wanted to join him in the break room. She almost never ate in there, but agreed.

"Can you teach me more?" Louis was asking after swallowing a bite of his sandwich.

She turned over her spoon, thinking over the question. _What do you want to know?_

Louis said something, but she didn't catch it. _Repeat that?_

S-w-e-a-r. Louis spelled, causing her to laugh. When she locked eyes with Louis again, he was staring at her with an expression she couldn't quite place. He looked away after a moment, wiping his face nervously, then signed, _what? I want to know _.__

So she taught him. She taught him more than just swear words, like foods, colors, family, work words, etc. People came in and out of the break room, and at first she'd feel a little self conscious, but Louis paid them no mind, and kept asking her to continue. 

Louis knew a lot more than she thought he did. She didn't know why that thought made her so happy, but he was really trying.

It went a little past their break time, she was aware of it, but every time she thought about going back to work, Louis would smile that _damn _smile and she couldn't do it. He looked so proud of himself every time he signed something right, how could she leave him?__

Clementine had just taught him _bitch_ after his incessant begging, when guilt really begain to take over. She wasn’t technically his boss, but she did sort of have responsibility over him, and encouraging him to slack off would be bad on her part. 

Louis frowned a tad when she suggested going back, which was expected, but what wasn't expected were his next words.

_Can _we..__ Louis signed, then gestured to the two of them. He then signed,  _ _ _again.___

_Can we do this again?_

Clementine grinned, nodding without hesitation. She held up the sign for "U" and tapped it on the back of her hand. _Of course!_

/

Neither of them got fired. Luckily. 

She actually wasn't sure if Louis enjoyed working at ERF. Not that he was bad at his job, he just didn't seem to have the same.. excitement for the job as everyone else. She asked him about it when he was helping her out in lab one day.

She didn't mean for it to sound so blunt, but Louis didn't seem to care.

He only shrugged, averting his eyes. She waited for him to elaborate, but he never did, and she turned back to the microscope.

It wasn't until lunch that day that he elaborated on his answer, and it came completely out of the blue. They had been sitting in comfortable silence in the break room when he continued. 

"I want," Louis spoke as he signed, she assumed he was doing it absentmindedly, "to be a musician." He mimicked playing the piano, back and forth, the faintest hint of a smile on his lips.

Clementine nodded, urging him to go on.

Louis looked her in the eyes, giving up on signing. "This.. for cash. My dad wants.. scientist." He mumbled, glancing at the door, then switched back to signing, I know it's dumb, but..

She shook her head, _Not dumb at all!_

There was a slight pause, Louis flashing a clearly fake smile. _It's fine. I don't care._

_Your dad?_ She asked, hoping he’d open up more.  

Louis nodded. "He doesn't.. support me. Never has. It's actually a miracle he still.." He trailed off, avoiding her eyes. "I— Actually, never mind! I just remembered.. Lily asked me to.. .." Louis quickly rambled off some excuse, throwing his remains of his lunch in the trash, probably looking for something to do with his hands. He wasn't looking Clementine in the eyes anymore, clearly bothered. 

So she dropped it.

/

The next time they ate lunch together, she taught him even more. And the lunch after that, and after that. She was incredibly proud of how much he’d improved, thought it wasn’t all her.

On this particular day, Clementine was sitting on the counter, and Louis had asked her about name signs.

They're like.. n-i-c-k-n-a-m-e-s. She told him.

Louis wanted one immediately.

She held her right arm horizontally in the air, then made a "W" with her left hand and used it to 'swim' above and below her arm.

Louis repeated the sign, asking her the meaning.

_Whale, _she grins, fingerspelling, b-e- _lou _-g-a.____

Louis' entire face lit up, erupting in laughter. The world seemingly brightened, and she felt a grin spread across her face in reply. That’s all she seemed to be doing around Louis, grinning until her cheeks hurt. 

_Horrible! _Louis grinned, _Another one!___

Clementine made a "V" sign and flipped it onto her forehead. _Dumb._

Louis stepped back with a shocked face, Clementine couldn't help but roll her eyes.

_Fine! Yours is._ _ _ _.___ Louis pauses, making an “A” and placing it in front of his shoulder. He moved it in a circular motion.  _ _ _Attitude___

She pretended to be angry, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes again. She wasn't doing a very good job at it, though, she couldn't wipe the smile off of her face for a second. 

Louis paused once more, creating a fist at his chin and making a squeezing motion. _Orange _.__  C-l-e-m-e-n-t-i-n-e!

_That's nice._

Louis quickly lost his smile as he jerked his head towards the door, and she looked in the direction of his gaze. 

It was one of the interns from another department she couldn't remember the name of, he paid them no mind and immediately started towards the fridge. Louis must've said something, because the intern quickly glanced over at them, and gave him a unenthused shrug.

Louis tapped her knee to get her attention, then put his index finger to the outside of his nose, twisting it twice. _Boring._

  _You're getting better _, s__ he tried to sign to him, but Louis was looking back at the intern with an amused look. 

Louis said something along the lines of "it's our thing," and "I'm learning," and stepped closer to Clementine, almost protectively. When she looked back over, the intern was rolling his eyes and walking out with a smirk.

Louis put his palms on the counter on either side of her thighs, leaning even closer to her.

_What did he say?_ She asked, choosing to ignore the motion.

Louis processed the question for a few seconds, then waved his hand nonchalantly with another shake of his head.

  _He's just _j-e-a-l-o-u-s, h__ e signed, fingersoelling. 

 Clementine lifted her pinky, put it to the corner of her lips, and quickly turned it inwards, as if making the "J" sign. _Jealous._

Louis attempted to repeat the sign, but turned his hand the wrong way. She placed her hand atop his fingers without much thought, and was immediately taken aback by how cold his hand was.

She glanced up to tease him, but found his cheeks had turned slightly darker and he was looking up at her with an unknown expression. 

Eye color wasn't something she really noticed in anyone, she was usually too busy looking at people's lips. She could remember her mother's lips, the exact shape and color of them, but not her eyes. She could only remember the warmth that surrounded them, the same warmth surrounding Louis' now. Brown. They're brown, but they shone so brightly, and the light that shone from the window only made them brighter. There were flecks of green and gold in them, almost sparkling. They reminded her so much of honey. 

Clementine felt herself involuntarily shiver, though she couldn't tell if it was from his abnormally cold hands or the way he was looking at her right now. That seems to have broken the spell that had fallen over the both of them, and Louis quickly took his hand away from hers and repeated the sign perfectly. _Jealous._

"Got it," Louis says, shoulders rising a little. He mechanically signs, _Thank you._

There was an awkward pause. Clementine fiddles with her fingers, debating whether or not to say what she was thinking.

She went for it. That was another thing Louis did without even trying, giving her courage. There was something about him that drew you to _try _, to.. to go for it.__

_I think I have your sign now._ It was cheesy and stupid, and he probably wouldn’t like it, but..  

Louis' eyes snapped up to meet hers as she started signing.

She pressed her middle finger to her cheek, then laid her palm against it. _Honey._


	2. Chapter 2

_You're_ _acting_.. Clementine held up the sign for "W" and flexed it 3 times, moving it horizontally as she did so. _Weird_.

She and Louis were eating lunch in her office—the break room table was full.

Louis flinched. He hadn't said much to her today, and every time she signed something to him he'd grow tense.

Louis took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. _I'm_ _sorry_. _I_.. He paused every time he was about to sign something, glancing at her nervously.

 _Do_ _you_ _want_ _to_ _get_ _dinner_? Louis signed, and it was so flawless she couldn't help but feel as if he'd practiced it many times. He lifted his sideways fist upwards, _Saturday_ , he added.

 _Sure_ , she smiled, staring at her desk rather than him. _I'd_ _love_ _to_ _go_. Her eyes flicked back up to meet his.

"You would?" He seemed surprised, like he hadn't been expecting her answer. Like she would say no. 

She'd never been out with a co-worker before, which was why she started to grow a tad anxious an hour before she was supposed to meet him. At first she wondered if she was underdressed, and then about what she was supposed to talk about, and then about if this was really a date? She couldn't tell if Louis was being serious or if he was just nervous to ask her on a friend thing.

Clementine was an adult, an adult that could admit that she found Louis attractive. She supposed she'd only recently noticed it, it was in the way he smiled, the way his eyes would squint ever so slightly when he smirked, the way he looked at her. But it was also in the way he was able to open up to her about his father, his willingness to listen, to learn—

This wasn't really helping her case.

Besides, if she did have feelings for Louis, she knew they wouldn't be reciprocated, as he hadn't really shown any romantic interest in her. Sure, he was kind, but he was like that with everyone around the office. She'd seen it herself, he invited people into the conversation and always tried to include everyone.

Clementine told herself this as she sat alone at the restaurant Louis had picked. The table was outdoors, it was a beautiful day, but it wasn't helping the fluttery feeling in her stomach. She twirled a piece of hair around her finger absentmindedly, feeling as if she should've done something nicer with it instead of just letting it down. She tucked it behind her ear nervously, checking the time for the 3rd time since she got there.  

She nearly dropped her phone when something pressed lightly on her back. Hello! Louis was signing before she could register the sight; he was seating himself in front of her with a goofy grin. Her stomach twisted at the sight of him. He looked handsome, she could admit, albeit hesitantly. He didn't dress that much different from how he did at work—flannel tucked into dress pants, sleeves rolled up— but there was something different there. Maybe it was those eyes, the way they glimmered in the sunlight, his smile, his slightly reddened cheeks.

 _Did_ _you_ _get_ _here_.. Louis was signing, interrupting her thoughts. He then slid his middle finger across his closed fist, _early_? She shook her head, mostly because she wanted those thoughts out of it, and also because Louis wasn't late.

 _Yes_. _I_ _didn't_ _wait_ _long_ , Clementine said, which wasn't entirely true. She thought she was going to be late and ended up showing up 20 minutes beforehand, then just decided to go in. Clementine glanced at her phone.

11:52. It seemed as if Louis was a little nervous about meeting, too, and the thought put her at ease.

There was a pause. Clementine glanced up, assuming he'd continue the conversation, but he was looking off to the side.

When he caught her eye, he tilted his head a bit, flashing a sheepish smile. _Pretty_ , he signed. 

Clementine blushed, signing a quick thank you in return. You look.. after a moments hesitation, she held up the sign for "G" and made a circle across her face. _Handsome_. 

 _What_? Louis asked, then repeated the sign for handsome.

She fingerspelled it for him, and when she finished, he picked at his sleeves nervously. There was another awkward pause.

Luckily the server saved them that time. Louis noticed her first; it took Clementine a second to realize she was asking for their drink orders. Louis said something she didn't catch, but when the server looked at her expectantly she sort of gestured to him vaguely. The server nodded, saying something like "the same.. be back shortly."

Clementine decided to pick something in the menu after Louis made no further comment, but she kept having to re-read the same thing again and again, unable to focus. She didn't know why it was so hard to talk to him now when she could tease him all day at work.

Louis gently tapped the top of her menu after she read the same words for the 5th time in the past minute. "So." He started, inhaling, _what_ _do_ _you_ _like_ _to_ _do_?

 _In_ _my_ _free_ _time_? She asked. He nodded. 

Clementine pondered the question for a moment, thinking back to all the nights she spent researching for her job. She made the sign for more and mimicked dropping whatever was in her hands. _Not_ _much_ , she laughed, though she assumed it came out breathy, _read_ , _write_. _Boring_ , _kind_ _of_. _You_ _play_ _piano_?

Louis grinned proudly, nodding. Another awkward pause. _Have_ _you_ _ever_.., Louis started, finishing by just saying, "eaten here?" She shook her head. 

Louis laughed, looking around as if he were worried someone was listening to them. _It's_.. Louis made the sign for hate, but moved it upwards instead of out. _Awful_.

Clementine laughed. _Why_ _did_ _you_ _pick_ _it_?

 _My_ _apartment_ _is_ _over_ _there_. _Easy_. Louis shrugged, still smiling. "Maybe we can go sometime."

Conversation was easier after that. Louis made jokes, asked how to say a couple words, and ordered for her. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so wide.

They went to Louis’ apartment afterwards, like he’d suggested. The first thing she noticed was the elegant grand piano in the living room; it looked beautiful.

Louis must’ve caught her staring, because he took a seat after closing his front door, placing his fingers on the keys. 

She gently placed her palm onto the side of the piano. It was a soft melody, she guessed, though the vibrations weren't that prominent. She tried different spots on the piano, and Louis must've noticed it, because he switches to a different tune on the bass keys. She immediately looked up for his expression, but he was focused intently on the piano. She giggled, the vibration rumbling up and down her fingertips.

He was pushing down on the keys with vigor, a huge smile on his face. Clementine felt comforted for the first time in a long time, much like the feeling she had when she first got Louis to laugh. The world seemingly brightened, she really meant it.

She didn't want to be anywhere else.

/

Clementine decided it was time to leave around 5, and Louis walked her out to her car.

"I had fun today," he grinned, putting his hands in his pockets.

She gestured to herself with her thumbs. Me too. Neither of them moved; they both stood there with goofy smiles and reddened cheeks.

It was here she realized was falling for this goofball.

Here. Not when he asked her out on a date, not when he played the piano for her, or opened up to her, but now; staring into his honey-colored eyes as the sun began to darken.

She didn't know why it didn't come as a shock to her. She supposed she already knew it in the back of her mind, just never wanted to admit it to herself.

His smile, his care, his thoughtfulness— Clementine found she was falling for it all.

Which is why she had to go _now_ , or this was really going to hurt even more later on.

 _Good_ _seeing_ _you_ , she signed, ready to depart. Louis paused for a moment, then nodded, turning to walk up the driveway. She watched him get about halfway up before he whipped around, looking incredibly pink, yet like he had finally made his mind up about something. He called out to her—she couldn't tell what he was saying—then took a deep breath and started running back towards her.

And then he tripped.

There was a moment in which neither of them moved. It took Louis slowly picking himself up off the ground on all fours, head bent, for Clementine to snap out of it. She ran towards him, crouching to his level, lifting his chin with her hands to see if he was hurt.

 _You_ _okay_? She was finally able to manage, grabbing Louis' hands to check for cuts. There weren't any.

She held on anyway.

"I'm fine!" Louis sat up, and began to laugh, clearly embarrassed— but it grew, his whole body shaking with laughter. Clementine's worry seeped away at the sight, and though she didn't find the whole thing very humorous, a few chuckles escaped her at the sight of him.

Louis' laughter died down eventually, and they went back to how it was before, staring into one another's eyes. She gave Louis' hands a tiny squeeze. Maybe this was a sign? A second chance to act?

She wasn't sure what came over her that day, maybe it was the feeling she got when she finally admitted to having feelings for Louis, or the adrenaline, but a sudden surge of confidence overtook her.

She slipped her hands out of Louis', held out two fists and flicked them down, then pointed to herself. She brought her fingers to the tip of her cheekbone, and slid them down to the corner of her lips, gesturing to Louis. _Can_ _I_ _kiss_ _you_?

Louis stared blankly at her, signing, _what_?

Clementine froze, never once had she wanted to take back something as much as she did then. Her gut wrenched in embarrassment. The confidence she'd presumably had disappeared in an instant, replaced with a plethora of other emotions: regret, embarrassment, and above all, fear.

Fear she ruined her relationship with Louis. 

Louis, who she just admitted to having feelings for, who meant so much to her, who looked.. incredibly confused? She hadn't noticed until now.

That's when he repeated the sign for kiss, asking the meaning.

Clementine couldn't help the smile that spread across her face, the wave of relief that washed over her, finally letting out the breath she'd been holding. _Nothing_!

But Louis repeated the sign again, a lot more serious. He said something like, "you signed it so fast," so she tried changing the subject before she embarrassed herself more. 

 _What_ _were_ _you_ _saying_? She asked, but Louis gave her the same confused stare, so she signed, before you fell.

Louis' cheeks grew pink, and he repeated the same sign as her. _Nothing_!

Clementine felt a tad triumphant at the response. She supposed it didn't matter what he was going to say, if it meant she didn't have to teach him the sign for kiss.

She picked herself up off the ground, brushing the gravel off of her. Louis did the same, though a bit stiffer. 

_Goodbye_ , _honey_. Clementine signed. 

_Goodbye, clementine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, I’ve just been really busy


End file.
